Christmas of Memories
by Tsunami Storm
Summary: Seventh in the Dragon-Prince series. It's the Egypt gang's first snowfall that they've ever seen, and Mother Nature is eager to give the bigger Kaiba family a Christmas they'll never forget. Mizushipping and Kaiba bros. love. Rated K.
1. Confusion

_**Summary:**_ It's the Egypt gang's first snowfall that they've ever seen, and Mother Nature is eager to give the bigger Kaiba family a Christmas they'll never forget. Just a short three-shot that I've had stuck in my head since Christmas 2010. Seventh in the Dragon-Prince series. Hope you enjoy! Mizushipping and brotherly love between the Kaiba brothers, as always. Rated K.

_**Disclaimer:**_ Why do I keep forgetting this? Oh well. I don't own YuGiOh!, that much is obvious. I do, however, own my OC, who just peeks in on this story. Oh, and the plot. _It came to me in a dream._ Heh. All right. Enough with the mystical mumbo-jumbo. All credit for 'YuGiOh!' goes to the genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

That being said, Read, Enjoy, and _Review_!

Chapter 1: Confusion

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><p>Seth woke up with the sun, just as he had ever since he had lived in Egypt as a child. It was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month, or as Seto, Noah and Mokuba called it, Christmas Eve. He had heard all of the legends and histories of this particular holiday, and none of them made much sense to him. Especially the one with the large man in the red suit. <em>Where did these people get <em>that_ idea?_ he wondered with a shake of his head. Out of all these legends, most of them shared a common factor: this thing people called snow. Seth had never seen such a thing before except on the television lately, and he wondered if it could really exist. He knew about ice, but snow? How was it possible for rain droplets to crystallize into unique, complex patterns like that?

Seth shrugged and pulled himself out of his musings to get ready for the day, not even bothering to look out his window. It hadn't 'snowed' at all since he and the others had been returned to this world, and Mokuba was growing rather disappointed with the uncooperative weather. Even Seto seemed to be in a bad mood lately. It had been overcast with clouds every day since the start of December, and just cold enough for a rainy winter day, but not cold enough for snow. There had also been plenty of wind for the last few weeks as well. All in all, it seemed that Isis [goddess of nature] was in a bad mood like his brothers.

_There I go again._ Seth chided himself for daydreaming. He stood next to his closet and pulled on a pair of black pants, then selected a black turtleneck and pulled it over his head. Smiling to himself, he pulled a white, sleeveless trenchcoat off of the hanger and put that on too. _There. Now I look just like Seto with a tan,_ he laughed as he thought to himself. Slipping a handmade locket around his neck, he opened the door to his room and walked downstairs to find some breakfast.

The locket that Seth wore was much like Seto's in its design and in that it contained a picture of someone important to him. However instead of a picture of his young brother Mokuba, this one contained a full-body photo of Kisara in her wedding dress. Seth sighed. That had been the happiest day of his life, the day that he and his true love had been joined forever in matrimony. Seto, unfortunately did not share this view of the memory. Seth laughed to himself as he remembered how the media had heard about a wedding in the Kaiba family. All because of one simple spelling error and their uncanny resemblance, Seto had to endure weeks of harassment by the paparazzi. Not to mention from his fans in the dueling world. But all that was over now.

By this time Seth had made his way to the kitchen, and quickly and quietly chose a cereal box and the other necessary items from the cupboards and refrigerator. He didn't want to wake the others, as both Seto and Mokuba had a busy schedule today. Seth had offered to help his twin, but Seto had declined, saying that it was 'Kaibacorp. business'. Mokuba hadn't needed any help either, as he would be spending the whole day at school rehearsing for the Christmas concert. Kisara and Noah had a free day, but Seth didn't want to wake them up either.

…

Just as he was finishing his breakfast, Mokuba came sliding down the banister rail and into the kitchen with his socks, still in his pj's. Seto entered the room seconds later, fully-dressed and wearing an exasperated smirk that was aimed at his little brother. Mokuba only grinned mischievously at his big brother, then whispered excitedly, "Morning Seth! Did you look outside yet? It finally snowed!"

Seth nodded his greeting to Mokuba, as his mouth was still full with his last bit of cereal. He then swallowed and replied, "No I haven't seen it, but thanks for the weather report." he smiled, watching as Mokie's impossibly-wide grin grew even larger. Seto just smiled, then grabbed an apple and a piece of toast from the toaster. Glancing briefly at his twin's apparel, he rolled his eyes. "Looks like I'm gonna be in two places at once today," he chuckled, ruffling Mokie's hair for the fun of it, making it even messier than it was already. Seth shrugged and smiled back, rinsing off his bowl and placing it in the dishwasher.

After Mokuba had finished getting ready, he and Seto left the mansion to go to their occupation sites: Mokuba to Domino High and Seto to Kaibacorp. "Make sure to bundle up, Seth!" Mokuba called as he hopped into the limo after his brother. Seth nodded, then raised a hand in farewell as the limousine disappeared down the road. Quietly, Seth donned a pair of snow-boots and gloves, then walked outside to determine what all the fuss was about with this 'snow'.

As he took his first step off the porch into the white winter wonderland, his foot sank into the crunchy landscape. With a surprised, muffled yelp, he jumped back to the safety of the concrete porch. Slowly he tried the action again, this time staying put as the ice crystals crumbled under his boot. He walked a few steps through the enigmatic terrain, then bent down and scooped up a handful of the white powder. Almost immediately the snow began to melt, and water rivulets ran from his gloved palm and dropped to the frozen ground below. _So it _is_ water,_ Seth thought to himself before tossing the rest in his mouth. _It's a different form of frozen water. _he affirmed, marveling at the cold sensation that was freezing his teeth.

_SPLAT!_ A wet, cold, round something collided with the back of his head, and Seth whipped around to see a grinning Noah Kaiba on the porch, holding another white ball. When Noah recognized who he had hit with his missile, he gasped, "Whoops! Sorry Seth! I thought you were Seto! He's had that coming for a while now."

Seth merely chuckled and brushed the snow out of his hair, answering, "No harm done, Noah. It's my fault for dressing this way today. However," he added, gathering some snow of his own, "that doesn't let you off the hook," he mock-threatened, pulling his arm back.

Noah laughed and cried out in mock-horror, "Oh no! Please spare me, great pharaoh! Not _that_! Anything but that!" he chuckled, covering his face with his arms.

Seth merely grinned evilly and threw the snowball anyway, where it connected–_SPLAT!_–with Noah's unguarded stomach. "Oof!" the surprised boy grunted, landing on his backside, causing Seth to chuckle. The bewildered look on Noah's face only made Seth laugh harder. "Oh that's it!" the boy cried with a smirk. "You're going down Seth!" he laughed as he tackled the former Guardian, sending both of them into the snow beneath. For ten minutes the brothers wrestled in the snow, having the time of their lives. Unfortunately all the noise and laughter woke Kisara, who'd been enjoying a very pleasant dream. The young woman took one look out her newly-repaired bedroom window, then smiled when she saw her brother and husband playing and behaving like they were eight.

Shaking her head in exasperation, a still-smiling Kisara walked over to her closet and selected a comfortable pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a warm sweater from her choices of clothing. After she had changed, she quickly and gracefully descended the stairs to the kitchen, where she found a bowl, spoon, and he favorite cereal and ate breakfast. After she had finished, she donned a pair of boots, gloves, a scarf and an overcoat and stepped out onto the front porch to watch her family's antics.

Noah spotted his sister first, then commented, "It looks like we have an audience Seth." grinning as he rolled off the Guardian's back. Seth got to his feet, embarrassment making his rosy cheeks even rosier. Kisara giggled at how red Seth's face was, then without warning threw a perfect snowball at the back of Noah's head. The unsuspecting teen was knocked forward off his feet, and face-planted in a soft snowdrift. "_Mmhfm_!" Noah shouted in surprise as Kisara giggled and Seth roared with laughter. "What was that, Noah? We couldn't hear you through the snow!" Kisara laughed good-naturedly at his muffled comment.

"I said, 'Hey!' I never thought that _Kisara_ would attack someone when their guard was down!" a rather-perturbed Noah answered, wiping snow off his face. But then he smiled. "Nice throw, though! You've got a strong arm!" he complimented.

"Thanks little brother." Kisara smiled. After a few more minutes, the three decided to return to the warm comfort of the mansion, as the temperature was dropping slowly due to the gray clouds that suddenly hid the shining face of Ra. A few minutes later found the group relaxing in the large sitting room, sipping mugs of hot chocolate and watching the local weather report.

"–What started out as a beautiful and sunny Christmas Eve day is about to be put on ice. As you can see on our charts, a _massive_ snowstorm is headed for Domino and the surrounding area. Families who were planning to travel over the holiday are strongly advised to postpone their trips until the winter storm blows over. The storm is expected to last a maximum of 72 hours, but we'll definitely see the sun return on day four. Happy holidays everybody, and good day." _Click_.

"Uh-oh. I hope they don't cancel the concert." Noah worried. "Mokuba worked all year on that!" He put his feet up on the chair, set his mug on the side-table, then curled up into a ball. Then he mused, "Then again, most of those families at the high school don't live too far away. They probably won't cancel it."

"And we all know how stubborn Seto is. Once he sets his mind to something, he sees it through, no matter what. Rampaging rhinoceros couldn't stop him." Seth laughed, leaning back on the couch, the picture of ease. "Mokuba is the same way. They wouldn't abandon the thing they were working on even if Zorc were attacking the city." he finished with another chuckle, closing his eyes to take a short nap. _Speaking of Seto, Seth thought, I wonder what he's doing right now._

* * *

><p>Kaibacorp. headquarters, Office of the President–<p>

"–In short, costs are down, revenues are up, and Kaibacorp. stock has never been higher. Gentlemen and ladies of the board, it has been a pleasure and a privilege working with you, in order to make this past fiscal year the best it has ever been since I reestablished Kaiba Corporation as a gaming organization, despite the minor setbacks that I dealt with in the past year. I thank you all for your time, and I wish you all safe travels and happy holidays." Seto Kaiba concluded with a small yet friendly smile. As the members of the board of directors filed out of the room, the young man sighed and collapsed into his leather custom swivel chair and closed his eyes for a brief moment. _That was nerve-wracking._ he though to himself. _Now I just have to make an announcement at lunch that everyone gets a mandatory week-long Christmas vacation. That ought to be interesting_. he finished pensively. He hadn't ever given any of his employees a _day_ off before, much less a _week_. And the idea that his predecessor would have was laughable. That tyrannical tycoon wouldn't have considered it even if there was a gun pointed at his head.

"Tch. The world is well rid of _him_. Wonder what happened to him anyway?" Seto mused to himself. Then he shrugged. It wasn't that important. After five minutes he pressed the intercom button for his secretary and instructed, "Make an announcement. I want every single employee in this building to assemble in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Tell them it's mandatory, I don't care what they're working on. Is that clear?"

"Transparently clear, Mr. Kaiba." the secretary answered and shortly after, the message crackled out through the communications system. Hours later the lunch break finally arrived, and the confused and slightly-apprehensive employees gathered in the mess hall for their President's impromptu meeting. Just as the hour hand touched twelve, Kaiba strolled into the room, trademark trenchcoat on and briefcase in hand. As he stepped onto the stairs to the second floor, he heard quiet whispers and murmurs coming from the crowd.

"What do you think's goin' on?"

"Beats me. Do you have any idea why Mr. Kaiba called this meeting?"

"If you ask me, there's only ever one reason for a meeting like this. Better prepare to clean out your desks, people: some of us won't be here tomorrow."

Seto smirked to himself. That man was partially right. _No one_ would be working here tomorrow. It was _Christmas_, for Pete's sake! He cleared his throat loudly and waited for the chatter to die down. When the room was quiet he looked up and announced, "All right. I'm gonna make this short and sweet, since I'm sure many of you have things to finish up in your respective departments. I just finished a meeting with our board, and this has been our best fiscal year in the history of the new Kaibacorp. Because of this, I am going to do something that neither I nor my predecessor have _ever_ done before. As of this moment, you are all–" Kaiba paused for a moment, building the suspense. "–on a mandatory, week-long vacation. You have all worked hard this past year, even in my absence, so I think you deserve some time with your families. Merry Christmas, and I expect to see all of you at the usual time on the 2nd of January."

Total silence and a room full of stunned faces was what followed that statement, and countless pairs of eyes followed Seto Kaiba out the front door and into his limousine, which sped off within a minute.

"Hey Johnson, that _was_ Mr. Kaiba, right? Did he really just give us a vacation?"

"Don't worry about it, Gansley. I bet he did it on purpose. There's supposed to be a huge storm this weekend. I guess he doesn't wanna lose any good employees."

* * *

><p>The Kaiba mansion, hours later–<p>

"C'mon guys! We wanna get good seats for the concert, don't we?" Noah called up the stairs, waiting for his brothers and sister. "Almost done, Noah!" Kisara called back, peeking out of the bathroom door. She was wearing a gold blouse with white rhinestones as buttons, and a black velvet skirt. Her hair was curled loosely and hung down her back and over her shoulders. "Just let me put a little make-up on!"

Meanwhile, the Kaiba twins came out of their respective rooms simultaneously and started walking down the large staircase. They were both dressed formally, but were in stark contrast to each other. Seth was wearing a white suit with a green shirt and tie, while Seto wore a traditional black suit with a red shirt and tie. _Hm. The _hikari_ is wearing _black_ and the _yami white_. _There's_ a switch._ Noah chuckled to himself as his brothers came downstairs. Soon after, Kisara joined the group and the four left the house and walked to the garage, where a Corvette Stingray was parked. Roland was at the door waiting for them and he wished them a safe journey, saying, "I've had this vehicle restored and upgraded just as you asked, sir. It has a full tank of fuel and a spare tire is in the trunk. I also took the liberty of giving it a fresh coat of paint, as the old one was no longer satisfactory. Drive safely, Mr. Kaiba, and have a good time at the concert."

Seto nodded his thanks, then as everyone climbed into the car, asked, "Isn't your niece singing in the choir? Why aren't you going?"

Roland took out a handkerchief and wiped his temple with it, as he always did when he was nervous. "Yes, well– she is, but– I'm afraid that I have not been feeling one hundred percent these last few days. It always happens around the holidays. If I may be so bold as to ask, could you– watch her performance and congratulate her for me? I would be so grateful if you would."

Seto smiled, then put a friendly hand on the bodyguard's shoulder and replied, "Sure. It's the least I could do old friend, after all you've done for me. Why don't you go inside and rest. You look a little worn down."

"Th-thank you, sir. I– I will do that. Have a safe journey, and Merry Christmas." Roland stammered as he walked back to the house after bowing respectfully.

"Merry Christmas Roland." Seto whispered as he got in the driver's seat of the classic car. Once everyone had fastened their seat-belts, Seto started the nearly-silent engine and drove out of the driveway to the high school. It was snowing hard on the way to their destination, and the CEO couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. The last time that he was in this car, in fact, the last time this car had been running– was the last time he and Mokuba had seen their father– alive.

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><p><span>End of chapter 1<span>

Next chapter teaser: Catastrophe

Wow. Long first chapter. Sorry about that! Anyway, I know it's not Christmas yet, (Heck, it's the middle of July!) but I couldn't get this idea out of my head!

Don't get me wrong now. I _love_ all those Christmas legends. You have to admit some of them are pretty bizarre, though. And they don't get a lot of snow in Egypt, so naturally Seth wouldn't know about it.

For a full story on the 'wedding of the century', see 'Union of Two Dragons', by Tsunami Storm (me).

As for the snowball fight, I just have one thing to say: 'Boys will be boys.' Immature as can be. Hard truth guys, sorry.

I hope I got that weather report right. It sounded a little off to me. What do you think?

The Johnson and Gansley mentioned are _not_ the Big Five members. Those are their sons, who are definitely _not_ following in their father's footsteps.

Aww. Now I really feel sorry for Mokie and Seto. In the original manga, it said their real father died in an accident, but everyone assumes that it was a car accident. So this is my take on it.

See you next chapter!

Tsunami Storm


	2. Catastrophe

Here's the next chapter for you! Read, Enjoy, and Review!

Christmas of Memories chapter 2: Catastrophe

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><p>Domino High, backstage–<p>

"Boy, I sure hope that Seto and the others can get here safely in this weather–" a worried Mokuba whispered as he looked out the window at the white winter storm. He was so worried that he wasn't even excited about how much snow there would be tomorrow. "Man. The last time we had _this_ much snow was when– Dad–" he broke off, wiping a few budding tears from his eyes. He didn't really remember the event, as he was very small when it happened, but Seto had told him when he was a few years older. _Okay, get a grip, Mokuba._ The young boy chided himself. _This is a _Christmas_ concert. At least _act_ happy_–_ even if you feel miserable._

"What's the matter, Mokuba? You got stage fright?" a teenaged girl asked out of nowhere. Startled, Mokuba jumped a little, but then relaxed when he saw Roland's niece. "Oh, hi. I didn't see you there, Yukina. Yeah, I'm a little nervous. Who isn't?" _That wasn't a _complete_ lie. I _am_ a little nervous._

"I'm not!" Yukina answered, beaming. The young woman had long golden hair and green eyes like emeralds. She was wearing a beautiful white dress tonight, and Mokuba knew that when she would stand in the spotlight for her solo, she would look just like an angel. Her hair was tied back with a bright red ribbon, and tiny white flowers were artfully woven into her blonde tresses.

"Hey, you wanna take a peek through the curtain and see if your family's here yet? I know Uncle Isono won't be here. He always feels ill on the holidays. But we can still look for your brothers and sister." Yukina suggested out of the blue, and Mokuba nodded once in agreement. Carefully so as not to be seen, the two teens peeked out the curtain and scanned the audience. Finally Mokuba spotted them. His family was just walking through the doors, and Seto was brushing snow out of his hair with a partially annoyed expression on his face.

…

"Did you _have_ to throw a snowball at me, Noah? Especially when my back was turned?" Seto mock-glared at his step-brother. Noah just grinned evilly and chose a seat between the middle and front of the auditorium. Still grumbling to himself, the CEO sat next to him, followed by Seth and Kisara. Once everyone had settled comfortably in their seats, Seto crossed his legs and folded his hands on his left knee.

"Heh. Seto's sitting just like Dad used to." Mokuba whispered to himself, then he and Yukina withdrew from their position and took their places on the stage. Soon after, the principal walked onto the stage and addressed the crowd of parents, guardians, and siblings.

"Welcome to you all, and Merry Christmas! Tonight we will be performing our Christmas concert, but this year will be slightly different than in the past. We've decided to combine our band and choir performances in order to cut down on time. That aside, let our performance begin with 'Joy to the World'!"

As the principal walked off the stage, the curtain rolled back and the band members prepared to start the first song. As the inspiring music filled the air, Mokuba saw his family of four smiling up at him, and suddenly all his worry and sadness vanished. Nothing mattered anymore but the song they were about to sing.

As the first selection filled the room, Seto felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He remembered singing this same arrangement when he was eight, eleven years ago now. He remembered his father and little Mokuba sitting in the pews of a local church building for his Christmas concert in 5th grade. He remembered being so proud and happy that his father and brother had come to hear him sing. As the song morphed seamlessly into the next selection, 'Good King Wenceslas', Seto couldn't help but feel as if he'd traveled back in time somehow. This was _exactly_ like his concert eleven years ago.

When the final song started to play, Seto felt his heart rise a few centimeters in his chest. 'Adeste Fideles' had been and still remained his favorite Christmas hymn, and eleven years ago, _he'd_ been the one selected to sing the final verse solo in the original Latin. He'd had a very good voice as a child before his voice had changed, and he'd been the only one who knew the words to 'Adeste Fideles', or 'Oh Come, All Ye Faithful'. He doubted that any of the boys in this choir could sing it, so he expected one of the girls to. Sure enough, as the second verse drew near its end, Roland's niece stepped off the risers and to center-stage, and a single spotlight shone on the fifteen-year-old soprano.

_"Adeste Fideles, Laeti triumphantes,_

_Venite, Venite, in Bethlehem._

_Natum videte, Regem Angelorum._

_Venite adoremus, venite adoremus,_

_Venite adoremus, Dominus!"_

"She looks and sings like an angel. I've never heard anything so beautiful in my life!" Kisara whispered, and Seth and Seto just nodded, their mouths open in stunned wonder. As the band played the postlude–an arrangement of 'Away in a Manger'–Yukina melted fluidly back into the large choir of students, resuming her position on the middle riser. When the amateur orchestra ended on its final strong note, the crowd burst into applause and soon the entire audience was on their feet and clapping so hard their hands were turning red.

Seto had never heard such a beautiful concert before–especially from an untrained high school choir and orchestra group–and he found himself on his feet and applauding harder and louder than anyone else in the audience. The choir bowed at the standing ovation and in an orderly manner exited the stage to return to their respective family members. Mokuba and Yukina walked over to where his brothers and sister were waiting and stopped just in front of the four. Yukina curtsied respectfully when she saw her uncle's employer, but Mokuba ran right up to him and tackled him in an enthusiastic bear-hug.

"Seto! You made it!" came the excited cry of joy from the raven-haired teen. Seto merely chuckled and ruffled his brother's hair again, answering, "Of course I came, Mokie. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Yukina stood by shyly while this exchange took place, staring at her shoes and wringing her hands nervously behind her back. When Seto turned his attention to her, she jumped slightly and blushed. _Was Mr. Kaiba always this tall?_ she thought uneasily, slightly intimidated by the 6'1'' young man.

"It's really too bad that your uncle wasn't able to come. You sang like an angel. A-according to Kisara, anyway." Kaiba praised, smiling slightly at the teenage girl. Yukina went even redder and mumbled very quickly, "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba," before falling silent and thoroughly studying her shoes again.

"There's no need to be embarrassed Yukina!" Mokuba laughed. "You did great! Seto rarely gives _anyone_ a compliment like that, so this is a special day indeed!" the boy added with a mischievous grin for his brother.

"I-I'm not embarrassed, Mokuba. It's just that your brother is _really_ intimidating. Both of them." Yukina stammered, briefly glancing at Seth, who was also smiling in a friendly way.

"Aw, they just look intimidating 'cause they're so tall. Seto's not mean, and neither is Seth. Just give it some time. You get used to it eventually." Mokuba assured. Yukina smiled slightly at that, then curtsied politely and left to find her parents. "Well Mokuba, I think it's time we headed home also, don't you?" Seto asked gently after a minute, catching the attention of Seth, Noah, and Kisara, who were still nearby. "Yeah. We'd better go. It looks like that storm is gonna get worse pretty soon."

Seto nodded, then the group of five ventured outside into the snow and piled into Seto's father's old Corvette Stingray. Mokuba, Kisara, and Noah sat in the back, and Seto and Seth sat in front. Wordlessly, Seto started the car, and the family drove off to the Kaiba mansion, to home.

…

After about ten minutes, Seto glanced in his rear-view mirror back at his raven-haired brother. "You did a great job tonight, Mokuba. I was impressed. I liked the song arrangements too." he said with a smile.

"Really?" Mokuba queried, then beamed with pride. "The first time we sang all those songs in choir, it sounded vaguely familiar, like I'd heard it a long time ago." Seto smirked at that, remembering the event as well. Then he turned his thoughts back to the road. By now the storm was a white-out, and Seto could barely see the red taillights of the car in front of him. Suddenly the red lights started to swerve from side to side as the car drove over a patch of hidden black ice. Seto carefully slowed down in response, but his tires locked as they approached the icy portion of the road. Seto grit his teeth and his mouth formed a hard line as he tried to maneuver through the treacherous terrain.

However, Mother Nature wasn't going to let him off that easily. The truck behind them smashed into the back corner of their car, and the Corvette went spinning out of control. Suddenly both of the tires on the left side of the car hit bumps, and the car flipped over and rolled to the ditch between the two highways. Kisara, Noah and Mokuba cried out in either fear or pain, Seto couldn't tell, and Seth had hit his head hard on the door, and was now unconscious. A trickle of blood ran down from his temple and dripped onto the sill of the window.

As the vehicle continued to roll, the front end of the car smashed into the guardrail and caved inward from the pressure. Seto felt a searing pain in his leg, and found it hard to breathe. Unconsciousness slowly taking him, he guessed that a few of his ribs were broken, as well as at least one–if not both–of his legs. As he finally lost consciousness, the airbag inflated, slamming his already injured head against the chair's headrest. Barely conscious, Seto thought irritably at the safety device: _Oh, _now_ you decide to inflate. Add insult to injury_– Then darkness claimed him.

* * *

><p><span>End of chapter 2<span>

Next chapter teaser: Recuperation

I know. I know. Never drive in a white-out. I had to make it interesting, though!

The song selections were from an old CD of the Vienna Boys Choir. They're really good! I highly recommend them!

Will the Kaiba family be okay? I hope so! Find out next chapter!

Tsunami Storm


	3. Recuperation

Christmas of Memories

Chapter 3: Recuperation

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><p>"–It looks like he's regaining consciousness."<p>

"–Good. That means they're all out of the woods."

"It's a miracle that the other young man survived. The paramedics said that he had a large metal bar in his chest, from the car wreck. He's lucky it missed his heart."

"I heard about that. The bar sliced his right lung and barely missed his spine. That young man has one heck of a guardian angel. What did they say his name was? Seth?"

_Seth_–_ no._

Darkness. Pain– Confusion.

_Is this Hell? No wait. I heard those people saying I'm alive. But_–_ then why can't I see? Why can't I move? I'm_–_ I'm cold. Where– where am I? This could all be a trick. A torture tactic. Give me a small hope and then dash it to pieces, prove it false. That would be typical. Wait. Where's Mokuba?!_

* * *

><p>Groan. "Ow. My head." grumbled the boy in question, opening his gray-blue eyes and observing his surroundings. <em>When in a strange place, take a moment to assess the situation. It <em>could_ save your life._ Seth had taught him rather cryptically one afternoon.

"Assess the situation. Okay." Mokuba said quietly to himself as he looked around him. "Just a white room. Looks like a hospital. Whoa, wait! Why am I in a hospital?! Oh yeah, the car accident. I hope everyone's all right," he worried quietly to himself. He turned his eyes down and started when he saw that his left arm was in a sling and cast. _Oh great. A broken arm. Seto's not gonna like that. If he survived_–

At this, Mokuba vehemently shook his head in denial, to banish these unwanted thoughts. "No way! Seto's alive. He's the strongest person I know. How could I even _think_ that?" he whispered angrily to himself. _I just hope the others are okay_– he thought as he closed his eyes again.

* * *

><p>"–How is he? Still unconscious?"<p>

"–Yep. Hasn't moved a bit since his surgery. If it weren't for those monitors, I'd swear he was in a coma. It's unsettling. How's the rest of his family?"

"Well, Noah has a broken right arm, but he's fine otherwise. Same with Mokuba, only he broke his left arm. Mr. Kaiba has a mild concussion and a broken left leg."

"And the young woman? Kisara? How is she?"

Seth listened especially for this answer, desperate to hear any news of his beloved. As he'd slowly regained consciousness, he'd listened to the conversation between doctor and nurse. Though he was indeed concerned for the rest of his family, Kisara was the one to whom he'd given his heart.

"She has a few broken ribs and a neck injury from the whiplash, but paralysis isn't likely. Of the five, I think she sustained the least amount of injury, whereas this young man got the worst of it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: This guy's got one heck of a guardian angel."

"Mr. Tanaka! Watch your language! This is a _children's_ hospital, after all. We can't say the 'h' word, or anything that stands in place of it!"

_Children's hospital?_ Seth wondered in confusion. _Why are we here? I guess this was simply the nearest medical facility to the accident site._ With some difficulty he opened his eyes, but shut them immediately in reaction to the blinding white light. _I guess I'll have to 'assess the situation' another way_–_ with magic._ He reached deep into himself for that familiar spark that only a yami could possess, and allowed that spark to fill his entire body.

He surreptitiously searched his surroundings for anything out of place; in other words, a potential threat. The only other living souls in the room were the doctor and the nurse, which he dismissed immediately. These people were here to _help_, not harm. Accepting his surroundings as a safe environment, he then turned his search inward to evaluate the damage from the almost-fatal car accident.

Seth grimaced when he sensed that his right femur had been broken in several places, and that he had needed surgery to remove a metal bar from his right upper chest area. Having completed his internal 'systems check' as Seto would have jokingly called it, he reached deeper within himself and sent out four harmless mental probes to check on the rest of his family.

From what he could determine, only Mokuba had regained consciousness earlier, but was now asleep. Seto seemed to be in something akin to a catatonic state, but was able to receive and respond mentally to outside impulses, if he so chose. Kisara was still unconscious, and Noah appeared to be in a kind of 'Sleep mode' that computers often go into when not in use. His involuntary functions such as heartbeat and breathing were still working, but everything else that was not immediately necessary had frozen due to shock. Seth was certain that this state was temporary, though. Once Noah's body had repaired itself, Noah would 'wake up' and be perfectly normal again.

* * *

><p>Hours later, 1:00 pm, Christmas Day–<p>

_Groan._ "Ugh. My head." an annoyed, weak voice growled.

"That's to be expected Mr. Kaiba, after what you've been through," a kind, motherly voice answered his complaint, which he had unknowingly voiced aloud. "Actually you should count yourself lucky. Not many people survive an accident like that, much less come away from it with just a broken leg and a concussion." Seto could tell that the older woman was teasing him just a bit, and he rolled his eyes for her benefit.

The woman looked like the grandmother type of person, not one you would expect to see in a doctor's uniform. Seto looked over at his bedside table and was surprised to see his laptop sitting there. As if she'd somehow read his mind, the old woman wordlessly picked up the computer and set it gently on his lap. "I know that you must be a very busy young man, especially around this time of year, so I took the liberty of rescuing your laptop from the car wreck and bringing it to you." The kindly old woman smiled warmly at him, then quietly left the room to give him some privacy.

Seto watched the enigmatic woman disappear down the hall, then shrugged and typed in his password to unlock the screen. Almost immediately he saw that his video-chat system was receiving a call, and he sighed and put on the headset and microphone and opened the window, dreading who could be on the other end.

"Kaiba-boy! I've been trying to reach you for _days_! _Where_ have you _been_?"

"Pegasus." Kaiba sighed with a smirk and another eye-roll. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked rhetorically.

"Aw, tsk tsk, Kaiba. Is that any way to greet an old friend? And especially on _Christmas_! I thought you'd changed!" Pegasus chided, feigning hurt and disappointment.

Seto had to laugh at the absolutely pathetic and humorous look on his fellow businessman's face. "I _have_ changed, Pegasus. Let's just say I couldn't resist answering your call like that." he replied, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Oh, I see–" answered the gaming mogul. "Well played, my friend! Who'd have thought the ever-serious Seto Kaiba would actually play a joke on _me_, the creator of such wondrous cards as 'Toon World'?"

Seto grimaced. If there was _one_ card in Duel Monsters that he absolutely _hated_, _that_ was it. That and 'Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon'. "Don't even go there, Pegasus. That card's caused more trouble than it's worth." he growled, remembering all the pain he and others had suffered at Duelist Kingdom because of it.

"Oh, I suppose you're right, Kaiba-boy, as usual." He then finally noticed that the Prince of Games was lying in a hospital bed. "My heavens, old friend! What in the name of Ra _happened_ to you?!" he spluttered, for once completely at a loss for words.

"Car accident. I'm sure you'll hear about it on the news in a couple days." Seto shrugged. "Long story short there was a huge winter storm, Mokuba had a concert, on the way home we crashed, and I got a slight concussion and a broken leg." _No need to tell him about the others _–_unless he asks._

"Oh dear me! Is Mokuba-boy all right?" Pegasus asked, surprisingly genuinely concerned for the boy who had once been his prisoner.

"From what I heard from the doctors, he has a broken left arm and a few bruised ribs. Nothing life-threatening, thank goodness. So what was so urgent that you've been trying to reach me for days?" Seto asked, hoping fervently that there wasn't another crisis. He'd had enough of those in his young life to last five lifetimes.

"Ooh, it's nothing important. I just thought you might be interested in participating in another tournament I'm throwing. It's at the same place as last time, but I'm thinking of playing it according to your Battle City rules, minus that 'rare card ante' rule. Maybe I'll call it 'Empire of Shadows'. What do you think?"

"Sure. Duel Monsters is based on the ancient 'Shadow Games', so that's a fitting name. I like it. As to whether or not I'll participate– I'll get back to you on that." Kaiba replied, intrigued by this new development. "Hold on a minute. Is this tournament going to involve actual Shadow Games, or is the name just for show?" Seto asked, suddenly slightly nervous.

"Ooo! I hadn't thought of _that_, Kaiba-boy! Marvelous idea! I suppose we _could_ allow those, but only if both duelists can handle it and both agree to it willingly. We wouldn't want another catastrophe like last time, now would we?" Pegasus phrased the last question rhetorically, but Seto answered it anyway.

"No we wouldn't. Who else is invited, anyway? I hope it's not losers like Underwood and Raptor."

"Well–" Pegasus answered, slightly sheepish. "To make this the 'tournament to end all tournaments', I've invited everyone who has ever amounted to anything in the dueling world. In other words, every duelist entered into any tournament within the past five years, including duelists that once possessed the Orichalcos and some from the ancient world. Maybe even some from _Atlantis_, if they want to–" he added cryptically with a mischievous glint in his brown eyes.

"You don't mean–" Seto gasped, horrified. "_Dartz_?!"

"Oh no! I didn't mean _him_!" Pegasus assured. "I guess I should have been more specific. I meant duelists that are still _alive_. I was _really_ thinking of somehow inviting Sirs Timaeus, Critias and Hermos, but I don't know how they would get to this dimension." he explained, trying to think of a possible way for it to occur.

"Well, _we_ go there all the time. Seth and I, I mean. We create a dimensional portal, jump through, spend a few hours there, then jump back. Wouldn't it work the same way for them? Because, technically those three aren't really Duel Monsters." Seto explained.

"You're right. They aren't. I'd forgotten about that." Pegasus answered, deep in thought. "Ah well. I'll hammer out the details another time. Well that's really all I had to say. Get well soon, my friend, and Merry Christmas!" The window closed.

"Merry Christmas, you crazy Froot-Loop," he said with a smile, not entirely sure if he really meant that bit of harmless name-calling. He checked the rest of his mail and–seeing only a Christmas e-mail from the Mutou's–closed the window to the mailbox. Just as he closed his laptop, Mokuba came into the room with his arm in a sling and a huge grin on his face.

"Hey Seto!" the boy greeted. "Good, you're awake. I heard the doctors saying that all of our injuries aren't serious enough to be bedridden, so I thought we could go downstairs to the lobby with the other kids and celebrate Christmas. Seth, Noah and Kisara are already down there. Whaddaya say?" he asked hopefully, the picture of innocence.

Seto shrugged, giving in once again to those irresistible puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, why not. But hand me those crutches, will ya? I refuse to be humiliated by having to use a wheelchair." he grimaced, making a face of mock-horror for Mokuba's sake.

It worked. Mokuba laughed at his brother's rather ridiculous expression, then retrieved the pair of crutches from their hook and carefully handed them to his brother one at a time. Seto nodded his thanks, then carefully sat up and moved his injured leg so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. With the aid of the crutches, he stood up, looking at his little brother beside him.

"This _still_ feels humiliating," he grumbled to himself, low enough that Mokuba couldn't hear. Louder he said, "Hey Mokuba? Do you think you could bring my laptop down for me? I have a feeling I might need it for something."

"Sure thing, bro." Mokuba grinned, grabbing the piece of technology and holding it under his right arm. As they walked out of Seto's room into the second-floor hallway, Mokuba asked, "Do you want us both to take the elevator, Seto? It's faster than the stairs."

"Sure, kid. Whatever you want." was Seto's reply, and the two brothers walked to the automatic lift at the end of the hall. When they reached the lobby, Seto was shocked to find a wall of snow beyond the glass entrance doors of the hospital.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we're gonna be here for a while. We got snowed in last night. The EMT vehicles barely made it to the rear entrance. I bet home looks _awesome_ right now!" the boy imagined, wonder sparkling in his huge, gray-blue eyes as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Great. I guess I'll have to shovel part of the driveway when we get home, then." Seto complained, but when Mokuba turned to glare at him, he saw humor dancing in his brother's sapphire eyes. Seto chuckled, then ruffled his brother's black mane of hair a little for fun. It was only then that he noticed that they were not alone.

A large group of children of all ages was sitting in the middle of the lobby, seated around the largest Christmas tree Seto had ever seen. Some were in wheelchairs, and some sat on the floor with their crutches near them. They all had one thing in common. They were all looking at Seto and Mokuba with polite, expectant smiles. Mokuba realized that they had been waiting patiently for them. The brothers smiled back, then joined the gathering of at least 60 youngsters. Kisara waved happily in greeting, being careful not to dislodge the neck-brace she wore. Seth nodded kindly from a wheelchair, his upper chest wrapped in bandages. When Seto saw this, he felt a pang of guilt in his heart. _My fault. It's _my_ fault they're hurt like this. If only I'd been more careful_–_ none of this would've happened__._

Noah Kaiba looked back at them by nearly bending over backwards, a greeting smile of welcome on his upside-down face. Mokuba laughed at his step-brother, and Seto wondered how he was balancing in that position with only his left arm supporting him. His right arm was laying against his chest in a sling, just as Mokuba's left arm was, and Seto could see some faint purple bruises around the boy's temple, where he had smacked his head against the car window. Repeatedly, apparently.

Seto shyly approached the group, then sat between Seth and a thirteen-year-old girl, who smiled in a friendly way. Mokuba sat on her other side, and on his other side was Noah, who gave him a brotherly shoulder-nudge. The girl tapped Mokuba on the shoulder, then started speaking to him in sign language. Seto guessed that she was mute from birth, or that an accident had injured her vocal cords. Mokuba nodded at what she signed, then whispered, "Sure. I can do that." Then he got the attention of the supervising doctor. Seto realized with a jolt that this was the same elderly woman who'd brought his laptop to his room for him.

"Excuse me, Dr. C? Savannah was wondering if you could turn on the radio to the Christmas music, so the kids can start opening their presents." Mokuba asked shyly, smiling up at the elderly woman.

"Oh dear me! I'd forgotten all about our little tradition. The radio tower that broadcasts our Christmas music was knocked down by the storm, so I'm afraid that we won't have music for a few days, until the tower is repaired." the woman answered sadly.

_Hmm_– Seto thought to himself as a lot of the other children groaned, _Perhaps I can arrange a little Christmas miracle._ Out loud he said, "That won't be a problem. Mokuba's put about a hundred Christmas songs on my computer over the years. If I could connect my computer with your speaker system, I should be able to get the music to all corners of the hospital, for the kids who aren't able to move from their rooms." he suggested, confident that his idea would work.

Mokuba scowled a little at his brother for blaming it all on him again. _What?! _You_ put more songs on that computer than _I_ did, Seto!_ But when the first song came on–an instrumental version of 'Let it Snow'–Mokuba forgot his earlier irritation and beamed at his big brother, looking as though he would burst with pride. _Seto really _has_ changed. Giving of yourself to help others, now that's the _true_ spirit of Christmas. He's the world's best brother!_ The boy thought happily, not for the first time.

…

As the children passed around and opened presents, Seto noticed the old doctor standing alone in a corner, smiling. He picked up his crutches and made his way over to her, then leaned against the wall, hoping she would buy his act of nonchalance. "Thank you," he mumbled after a moment of silence. "for taking care of my family. You have my deepest gratitude, Dr. C."

"No Seto, Thank _you_." the woman answered. "You have no idea how much your simple gesture has helped these young ones. And please, call me Mary. Mary Christmas." she asked with a rather impish smile, but true thanks and gratitude shone in her blue eyes.

"Interesting name, Mary." Seto said with a smirk of his own, looking back around the lobby. The building looked more like a mall than a hospital, with its three-story lobby that reached up to a glass-covered roof and the floors around it represented by balconies. The huge Christmas tree–Seto noticed–was about 25 feet tall and reached up almost to the transparent ceiling. The group of kids was still around the tree, and Mokuba glanced back and waved at them with his good hand. Kisara had wheeled Seth under a bough of mistletoe, and when she gestured to it with her head and pecked her husband on the cheek, Seth blushed. All the young girls went, "Aww," and all the boys–including Noah–reacted, "Eww!"

Seto and Mary snickered at that, then Seto rejoined his brothers in the group, passing gifts to the children around him. One girl had received a white kitten from her parents–who were coming by later in the week to take it home–and Seto thought the tiny creature looked oddly familiar, its emerald eyes sparkling with– _was that mischief?_ Shaking his head, Seto resumed distributing the other gifts, trying not to look at the cute little furball in the young girl's arms.

Mary watched her young charges for a little while longer, love sparkling in her eyes. Then she looked up at the roof just in time to see her husband fly by in his trademark sleigh. With a final smile, she whispered, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" before disappearing in a shower of silver, gold, crimson and emerald sparks. The only living thing that noticed her departure was the unusually-intelligent white kitten with emerald eyes.

The Kaiba family–once mostly healed–went back to their home a few weeks later. They never saw the mysterious Dr. Mary C. again, but they never forgot the kids at Healing Hands Children's Hospital. Every Christmas Day, a selection of 100 Christmas songs would come on the speaker system, and none of the staff could find where the signal would come from. But the kids knew.

* * *

><p><span>The End<span>

I got the 'Mary Christmas/Mrs. Claus' thing from an old Peanuts comic. So blame Mr. Schultz if it sounds too weird. XD

Like I said, I've had this rather plot-less story stuck in my head since Christmas 2010. But fluff really isn't supposed to have a plot, now is it?

I couldn't resist putting Hana in there from my other stories. She just wanted to say, "I'm still around." So there. Who knows? Maybe one of the kids needs a little non-human comfort now and then.

Now I can finally focus on that DMG fic I've been itching to write! Hooray! Well, it's just a fluff/angst one-shot, but oh well!

See you then!

Tsunami Storm

Almost forgot. About the 'Empire of Shadows' tournament thingy, I just needed an excuse for Pegasus to annoy Seto a bit. A friend of mine gave me the idea. Did I get his character right? I hope I did. Please say I did!

–Oh no. Now I'm starting to talk like our favorite Froot-Loop! NOOOO!


End file.
